Shackled
by SoyCrisps
Summary: He was chained, bound to his destiny. Unlike so many others.


_Hi, lovely people! Please, criticise to your heart's content. I don't know if this chapter is good quality or not. I've been staring at it for too long._

It was past midnight when footsteps travelled up the last flight of stairs, echoing softly. The sound ebbed slowly away into the stillness of the night.

Turning his head to scan the gloomy darkness, Naruto got the feeling he was not welcome here.

Out of all the doors in the corridor, there was one which stood out starkly from the rest. Even at this ungodly hour, the yellow, flickering glow of a light could be seen through the gaps.

Ah. Yes. This must be the one.

* * *

If there was one thing Sakura knew for sure, it was that having your hair plastered to your face was extremely frustrating.

No matter how many times she painstakingly removed the sodden strands from her eyes, they seemed to reattach themselves just as quickly.

Ugh. How annoying.

The rain was a relentless, freezing torrent as Sakura struggled for visibility. She couldn't risk even taking out her mission scroll. The thing would be drenched in a matter of seconds.

It was impossible to continue, she decided. She'd have to wait it out.

* * *

Naruto's hand curled, ready to knock, before it drew back and instead reached for the doorknob.

A gentle push revealed that the door had not been locked. It swung open with a slow creak.

The room had a quiet, uncluttered quality to it. What little furniture there was, was thick with accumulated dust, but evidently carved from expensive-looking wood. Or so he guessed. Just as you'd expect from an U-

"Who's there?"

Naruto strained his ears to hear the sound, barely more than a whisper.

Six years ago, he might have said that voice was 'familiar', perhaps even 'friendly'. Maybe, he would have come to call him 'brother'.

But this voice was no longer familiar. It was anything but welcoming.

"It's just me," he said clearly.

* * *

She had to find shelter, and fast. But shelter was non-existent, and fast was impossible in this kind of weather.

Great.

* * *

"Tsunade didn't make it."

The man at the balcony turned his head, revealing onyx eyes that were nothing short of pure mockery.

"So... you came all the way here to tell me that?"

"No, I didn't."

"You're Hokage now, aren't you?"

The blonde chuckled grimly. "I guess I am."

There was a brief silence. "What did you come here for? Perhaps you wanted to make me feel worse than I already do?"

"Sasuke-"

"Or maybe you've come to pester me, to lecture me about being the last fucking _Uchiha_ and how I shouldn't let my arrogance overwhelm my _character_." He spat out the last word as if it tasted vile.

"I never-"

"I know. After all those years you spent trying to drag me back here, you only want me to stay, don't you? To become a good little _shinobi_ and pledge my allegiance to this village, that continues to fight war after meaningless _war_?"

Although Sasuke's voice was quiet, he could hear the frustration bubbling beneath the words.

When Naruto finally spoke, his voice was, strangely, even softer.

"I'm not asking for any of those things. I'm not asking for loyalty, or forgiveness, or trust. I'm asking if you want a chance here."

* * *

As Sakura hoisted her right leg onto the rough, pockmarked branch of a tree, she wondered why she hadn't thought of it before.

Trees, trees everywhere. And yet, she had failed to notice that they were ideal for keeping dry. Or mostly dry, anyway.

Shaking the water out of her drenched hair, she winced as he head bumped against an especially prickly branch, and pulled herself up again. Climbing the old-fashioned way was quite... invigorating, she decided. She'd run out of chakra a while ago.

* * *

"I... I need some time to think about it." His voice shook slightly.

"Sorry to say there's no time."

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair. "I-"

He didn't get to finish the sentence.

**I'm very sorry (well, not really). I'm aware that this chapter is quite short, for fanfiction standards, but long chapters just don't work for me. They mess with my brain.**

**This chapter was born from the idea that for once, there'll be a fanfic in which Sasuke is rendered completely and utterly useless. (SPOILERS!)**

**...Yeah.**

**Cheers,**

**SoyCrisps**


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